Closure for bottle carriers



y 7, 1940- J. J. DIETRICK I 2,199,832

, CLOSURE FOR BOTTLE CARRIERS Filed April 21, 1938 l d J5 3 o 1; 30 1Q 14 D 1" w 9 Iii 1/ K I r 1' I H 1/ lNyENT R. JohrzJZhelhc/a,

ATTORNEYS Patented May 7, 1940 oLosUnaFon Bo'r'rm CARRIERS John J. merrier, Chicago, 111., assignor t6 Bath-Y.

- poration of Illinois borneQHair & Bidgway 00., Chicago,'Ill .,'a cor- 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to an improved type of carrier forbottles, and relates in particular to the combination of a carrier case composed of wood or thelike with a protective cover portion provided with special retentive means.

. A-principal object of the invention is the provision oi'a bottle carrier composed of a strapped wooden case open at its top andprovided. with a protective removable cover member which is :held in position within the case so as to prevent accidental dislodgment and at the same time is easily removable to provide access to the contents of the carrier, the construction of the various parts of the carrier being simpleand economical as well as usable for extensive periods without destruction.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a bottle carrier having a wooden case provided with metallic strapsnailed about its ends and having a, cover member with side and end extensions, some of which are accessible through centrally positioned openings in-the ends of the case, the top of the case being provided with offset metallic strips extending into the case over the cover member to releasably interlock the latter in position.

These and other objects will be evident upon a consideration of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bottle carrier constructed in accordance with the invention, the cover member in the drawing being partially broken away to show the interior structure;. and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1. I

Heretofore ithas been customary to package beer and other beverages carried in bottles in various types of cases. Initially, wooden cases were used practically universally, but the dimculty of providing a proper covering assembly for the cases largely was responsible for the trade adopting the use of corrugated paperboard containers having top flats which can be sealed in closed position. Paper containers of this type are quite expensive and have the disadvantage that they cannot be used repeatedly, as in'the case of wooden carriers. In accordance with the present invention there is provided a bottle carrier of the rigid type such as constructed. of wood, which provides adequate coverage and has many advantages such as the possibility of use a large number of times. v v

The improved construction shown in the drawing consists of a case indicated generally at In composed of wood and having a bottom l l ,sides l2, and end. members'l3. This case,.in sofar as its assembly of sides, ends and bottom is concerned, is 'of-conventionalconstruction. "J Y Z -The endsiof the. case are provided with the metallic :straps M which are nailed about the ends of the box, as shown in the. drawing. Interiorly of the case In is provided a'cellular partition member l5 which divides the case intoa plurality of bottle-carrying compartments; The bottles areuipositioned :within the case, .as indicated in Fig. 2, at 16, the tops of the bottles being slightly below the upper edge or the top of the case In.

The case is ,of open topped construction since experience has shown that it is not practical to provide cases of this sort with integral cover portions. However, it is highly desirable that some type of protective cover-be employed with the carrier. In accordance with the present invention there is provided a separate cover having a body portion indicated at H which fits snugly within the walls of the case. This cover member is constructed of a resilient material such as corrugated paper board.

From theedges of the main portion I! of the cover member the integral extensions l8 extend downwardly adjacent the walls of the case. The

cover portion rests adjacent the tops of the bottles held in the carrier and the extensions l8 on the main portion of the cover are positioned between the bottles and the walls of the case.

The extensions l8 adjacent the ends of the case extend downwardly within the case a distance sufiicient' to be accessible through the openings IS in the end portions I3. It will be noted that the openings I9 are centrally positioned in the end members and below the upper edgesthereof. In addition to providing access to the extensions I 8 these openings provide hand holes by which the carrier can be handled.

On the tops of the end members l3 and beneath straps 14 there are provided the oppositely disposed inwardly extending strips 20. The strips 20 may be nailed to the upper edges of the ends l3 before the straps l4 are nailed thereabout. Generally one nail is suificient to secure each of the strips 20 to the case. It will be seen from Fig. 2 that the strips 20 extend inwardly of the end of the case and" overlie the ends of'the cover portion l1. Preferablythe strips are turned downwardly and outwardly.

In using the bottle carrier the cellular partition initially is placed in the case If! and the latter is filled with the bottles. Thereafter the excidentally be dislodged from its position adjacent the tops of the bottles l6. As will be seen from Fig. 1, the cover-retaining members 21 preferably are ofiset with respect to each other and the center of the case. In particular, the strips 20 are positioned to one side of the'case away from the openings l9. The distance which the cover-retaining members 20 overlie the cover may vary, but in one satisfactory embodiment'the retaining members extend within the case approximately one quarter inch. i In order. to remove the cover to provide acces to the bottles [6 the user may place one hand through one of the openings I Sand press the extension I8 inwardly and upwardly to release the cover portion l1. If desired, the cover may be similarly released at both ends simultaneously. The resiliency of the cover is such as to make this operation possible without; di-fliculty. At the same time extensive use of the bottle carrierhas shown that the cover does not become released Also, the, l cover is retained in position so that it cannot ac:

until the proper time.

The cover-retaining members 20 are inexpen-,

sive and may be used for extended periods without losing their efiiciency. Even if damaged slightly they still function in the desired manner.

.lt will be recognized that many changes may be Qmadefinthej oonStructiOn described herein for purposes of illustrating the invention, and such changes and modifications are intended to be included in the appended claim. I elaim:"f* v A bottle carrier, comprising an' open topped a Woot leri case fadapted to receive a plurality of bottlesiha'yingmetallic straps nailed about the ends thereof, said ends havingcentral openings below the top of said casejofiset metallic strips nailed,

to the upper edges of said ends at points ofiset from said openings, said strips extending in- Wardlyof said ends and being turned down and outwardly, a resilient fibrous cover member having a main portion fitting snugly within "said case above bottles held therein and below'the ends of='said-"i'nwardly extending strips, and'extensions on said main portion extending downs wardly adjacent the ends and sides of said case, the extensions adjacent the ends of said case being accessible through said openings.

- JOHN J; DIETRICKI 

